20.1 million Canadians ages 13 and older used mobile devices in September 2011, according to comScore. The number of people owning a smartphones reached 8 million, representing 40% of the mobile market in Canada, a gain of 7 percentage points in the past six months.
RIM ranked as the top platform with 35.8% of the smartphone market, followed by Apple at 30.1%. Google Android gained ground among the competition by doubling its market share to 25.0 over the past six months. Symbian ranked fourth with 4.2% share, followed by Microsoft with 3.2%.
Canadians use their mobile devices to access a wide variety of content. In September, 67.4% of the total Canada mobile audience used text messaging on their mobile device, compared to 88.1% of the Smartphone audience. Downloaded applications were used by 40.9% of the total mobile audience, compared to 84.2% of smartphone subscribers. Mobile browsers were another popular way of accessing mobile content, used by 36.9% of the total audience and 74.8% of the smartphone audience. 39.5% of the total audience and 79.3% of the smartphone audience used their phones to stay up-to-date on the latest news. Other popular mobile behaviours included accessing maps (44.4% of smartphone subscribers), accessing bank accounts (28.8% of smartphone subscribers) and scanning QR codes (18.1% of smartphone subscribers).
Select Mobile Content Usage in Canada, September 2011 (Total Canada Mobile Subscribers and Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+):
- Sent text message: 67.4% of mobile subscribers / 88.1 of Smartphone subscribers
- Used downloaded application: 40.9% / 84.2%
- Accessed news and information: 39.5% / 79.3%
- Used browser: 36.9% / 74.8%
- Used email (work or personal): 32.7% / 69.3%
- Accessed Social Networking Site or Blog: 29.2% / 60.7%
- Played games: 28.0% / 53.2%
- Accessed weather: 27.5% / 60.2%
- Accessed search: 24.2% / 51.2%
- Listened to music on mobile phone: 20.8% / 40.7%
- Accessed maps: 20.1% / 44.4%
- Accessed sports information: 14.8% / 31.5%
- Accessed entertainment news: 14.2% / 29.5%
- Accessed bank accounts: 13.5% / 28.8%
- Scanned QR/bar code with mobile phone: 8.1% / 18.1%
(
comScore, November 2011)
Smartphone penetration across Canada reached 30% in August 2011, up from 23% in January 2011, according to Ipsos Reid. While still achieving growth, the growth potential for smartphone ownership appears to be levelling off slightly.
No doubt, Canadians are still very interested in smartphone devices, and Ispos anticipates these will eventually be in the hands of most adult Canadians and, to a slightly lesser degree tweens and teens, but the growth curve is more likely to be flatter in the coming years as adoption begins to slow from this point of 30% penetration.
Canada's unique mobile landscape is illustrated by the fact that many Canadians are locked into long-term contracts. The desire to upgrade to a smartphone may be there, but the opportunity to do so may be contractually limited (unless the customer is of course willing to pay a penalty). This may also present a unique opportunity for tablet marketers to snag sales from Canadians interested in a more sophisticated mobile device, but who are not in a position yet to upgrade their feature phone to a smartphone until their contract has expired. (
Ipsos Reid, October 2011)
Approximately three in every four mobile device users in Canada report having downloaded at least one App to their mobile device (71% of smartphone users and 80% of tablet users), according to Ipsos Reid's Mobil-logy Study of Smartphone, Tablet & eReader users in Canada.
While this may seem high - context is everything. The study conducted in February 2011 shows 23% of online adult Canadians (18+) own a true smartphone (this excludes web-enabled phones) and 3% of the same own a tablet. In absolute terms, usage across Canada is still relatively small. When we consider that 71% of the 23% of smartphone users have downloaded an App, that equates to 16% of the online adult population in Canada and for tablets it translates to 2%.
Experience with Apps varies considerably among smartphone users, depending on the operating system of their device. The study revealed that almost every iPhone user has downloaded an App (96%) - a figure that is pulling up the average. By comparison, far fewer BlackBerry users have done the same (59%). Users of other smartphones using a different operating system (primarily Android users) fall somewhere in between (66%).
The variation in App experience between different smartphone operating systems is magnified further when exploring the number of Apps users have on their devices. On average, Smartphone users estimate they have 19 Apps on their device at any one time (the average number of Apps for a tablet is higher at 25). The number goes up considerably among Apple iPhone users, who report five times more Apps than BlackBerry users (34 Apps versus 6 Apps). It is expected that this gap will narrow as BlackBerry moves to a more sophisticated Operating System.
Results from the Mobil-ology study suggest that smartphones and tablets represent two very different value propositions for their users. The smartphone in principal delivers on utility, yet the tablet fundamentally serves an entertainment purpose. Where we do see similarities between the two mobile devices relates to the genres of Apps Canadians are using. Regardless of device, Weather and Gaming Apps top the list in terms of popularity.
Top App genres - smartphones & tablets (online adults 18+ who own a smartphone/tablet and have downloaded at lest one App on respective device), February 2011:
- Weather: 65% (smartphones) / 67% (tablets)
- Games: 64% / 76%
- Social networking: 57% / 41%
- Maps & Navigation: 52% / 47%
- Instant Messaging: 43% / 21%
- Entertainment: 42% / 53%
- Music & Audio: 36% / 43%
- Search engine: 35% / 46%
- News (NET): 32% / 49%
- Sports: 28% / 24%
- Books: 18% / 61%
(
Ipsos, June 2011)
Three-in-ten online Canadians (31%) own a smartphone in Canada, an increase of over 50% since previously measured in the spring of 2010, according to the Ipsos Inter@ctive Reid Report.
And as ownership rises, so too does usage, with smartphone owners spending an astonishing 17.3 hours per week using their device. Not surprisingly, smartphone ownership is significantly higher amongst younger Canadians; in particular, 46% of those online Canadians aged 18 to 34 own a smartphone, and their usage (20.6hrs/week) is significantly higher than older Canadians.
Evolving into one of the most beneficial and useful tech-tools available to Canadians, smartphones are used for more than 10 functions by more than one-quarter of online smartphone owners, and for the first time ever, the majority of smartphone usage (54%) is for activities other than talking.
The majority of smartphone users take photos (70%), send or read email (70%), check the weather (52%), and send or receive IM's (52%) with their device. The most drastic increase in smartphone usage rates is connected with social networking (Facebook/Twitter), with 48% of smartphone owners use their devices to check social networking sites, an increase of nearly twenty points since previously measured in the spring of 2010. (
Ipsos, May 2011)
Mobile subscribers in Canada exhibited strong usage of mobile media on their devices, according to comScore. In March 2011, 40.6% of mobile users in Canada used an application on their mobile device in March 2011, while 32.7% used a mobile browser.
Accessing of news/information was conducted by 35.2% of the mobile audience, while social networking sites or blogs were used by 25.4%. Sending text messages and taking photos with their phone were the top two activities, used by 64.5% and 48.9%, respectively. Accessing work or personal email represented 29.7% of the total mobile audience.
Mobile behaviours in Canada, March 2011 (Total Canada Mobile Audience, Age 13+):
- Sent text message: 64.5% of mobile subscribers
- Took photos: 48.9%
- Used application: 40.6%
- Accessed news and information: 35.2%
- Used browser: 32.7%
- Used email (work or personal): 29.7%
- Played games: 27.3%
- Accessed social networking site or blog: 25.4%
- Accessed weather: 22.9%
- Used major instant messaging service: 21.1%
- Accessed search: 21.1%
- Captured video: 20.3%
- Listened to music on mobile phone: 19.0%
- Accessed maps: 17.5%
- Accessed sports information: 13.1%
- Accessed entertainment news: 13.0%
- Accessed movie information: 12.0%
- Accessed bank accounts: 11.1%
- Accessed restaurant information: 9.8%
- Accessed financial news or stock quotes: 9.4%
In March 2011, 6.6 million people in Canada owned smartphones, representing one-third of the total mobile audience. (
comScore, June 2011)
33% of Canada's mobile phone users have a smartphone, according to a March survey conducted by
Quorus Consulting for the
Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association(CWTA).
Traditional mobile phone vs. Smartphone users in Canada, by age, March 2011 (% of respondents):
TOTAL: 67% for mobile phone / 33% for smartphone
- 14-17: 68% / 32%
- 18-24: 44% / 55%
- 25-34: 57% / 43%
- 35-44: 57% / 43%
- 45-54: 71% / 29%
- 55+: 82% / 17%
Meanwhile, related research by
Ipsos Reid expands the smartphone base to nearly a third of all internet users in Canada, a figure which has grown more than 50% since early 2010. Younger generations are leading the shift, as 46% of internet users ages 18 to 34 have already made the switch to smartphones, according to Ipsos. The CWTA found that penetration spikes at 55% among mobile phone users ages 18 to 24.
Usage is likewise growing more sophisticated. Talking is now a secondary consideration, with the Ipsos survey finding that 54% of all smartphone usage is for something other than voice calls. One-fifth of Canada's smartphone owners access the internet on their devices more than 5 hours per week. Smartphones are also helping to spread awareness of QR codes and other barcode formats. According to the CWTA, 65% of smartphone users are aware of 2-D barcodes, while 28% have scanned one with their phone. (
eMarketer, June 2011)
The study also noted that tablets accounted for a small but fast growing segment of retail website visitors. It went from 1 percent in January 2011 to 4 percent in December 2011.
Last month, Amex 
